Kai Widmer (PADI Rescue Diver, Junior Divemaster in training)

Kai has been diving with Annie for four years now, starting in 2017 when he was in eight grade, and now he is a junior in high school. His motivation sparked when Annie came to his middle school to present about plastic pollution in the ocean. Kai was touched by this presentation and went home and told his parents he wanted to start scuba diving. He has learned how to avoid plastic and other pollutants in his life, and with his family, has lowered the amount of garbage they produce. Recently he has started stepping into a teacher assistant role where he can help new and veteran divers improve, while also improving aspects about himself. You can find Kai having standoffs, maybe even wrestling, with Santi, another young but amazing diver on the Dive Team. Kai is also ranked 4th in the world for best jump roping. He can do backflips, front flips, round-off back tucks, and loves fun and supportive communities like jump roping and diving. Kai is Japanese and loves Japanese food and speaking the language.

Favorite park species: Lions mane jelly

PADI specialties: Dry Suit, Enriched Air, Edmonds Underwater Park Diver

Favorite Edmonds Underwater Park memory: Diving the north side of the park with Cam on Thanksgiving

Dream Career: Hasn’t decided yet!

“I speak up for the ocean because I want everyone to understand the raw beauty of what is under the surface. I want to be a leader in showing people what is worth protecting and how to take action.”

— Kai Widmer